Dengue Fever question

puryear270

Bronze
Aug 26, 2009
935
82
0
Last November, I was hospitalized in Bani for four days with dengue fever.

After being released from the hospital, I continued having headaches behind the eyes for another four weeks. All this, I was told, was normal. Finally, the headaches went away.

This week, after a couple of mosquito bites, I'm having the same headaches behind the eyes again. Fortunately, that is the only symptom. No fever, no excruciating headaches, no vomiting, no chills, and definitely no loss of appetite.

I'm guessing that one of the mosquitos that bit me recently carried the virus and reinfected me, but I still have resistance to the disease from the previous infection.

Or maybe a mutant alien life form crawled in my ear the last time I was at the beach and it is going to take over my brain and I will eventually take over the country and outlaw motorcycles and bachata.

At any rate, I would appreciate comments from your own experiences, or the tangent about something totally unrelated that most threads develop.
 

Givadogahome

Silver
Sep 27, 2011
4,397
2
0
I had dengue over Christmas, worst I've ever felt in my life and I've experienced some illness, believe me. If I remember correctly there are two (someone correct me) types and once you've had it once and come throu the other side the next time you get it is significantly worse and much more desperate. So if this what I seem to remember is correct then you don't have it, or you would know it. From headache to flat out disabled it was about 24-48 hours for me.
I hope you don't have it, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Sleep well.
 

tim c

New member
May 3, 2007
32
0
0
I had the fever two years ago. You can only get the fever once. But there are three different types of the fever and you can get each one, one time. I didn't get a headache so you might have had a different type then me. I found it Impossible to stand up. I would shiver for 30 to 45 minutes. Then I would sweat buckets of 20 to 30 minutes. I would think about going to a clinic and getting the test.
 

Beenaway

New member
May 27, 2013
112
0
0
Seems to be 2 types - regular, which is like a bad flu for a few days and hemorrhagic which is really nasty - think meningitis nasty.

But probably best not to listen to medical advice from people like me...... :smoke:
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,328
113
4 types ... the hemorrhagic is the headache one (at least for me , it was) and does not appear in the first instance.... must be a subsequent infection.

My first bout was just a long 'grippe' type session - 10 days or so.
The second - the H type - was the behind the eyes headache one, excruciating. Nine days in hospital .
Fever went immediately to 104/105 and subsided to 101/102 for 6-7 days.... just shoot me! The skin peeled off my forehead and later off my feet.

You can get all four.....
 

Ringo

On Vacation!
Mar 6, 2003
2,823
41
0
When I had it in Feb., the headache behind my eyes kept returning for 2 or 3 months as well as a couple of other minor symptoms. I asked my Doc. about it and he said that the virus has changed some this year.

I was told that after you have had this virus, that you are immune to that one for some time but not immune to the other.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,328
113
The US has a scheme whereby they will introduce a mutant mosquito - a nonflying female - only the females bite
 

pelaut

Bronze
Aug 5, 2007
1,089
33
48
www.ThornlessPath.com
Lots of bad skinny on this thread, but lots of good too (thanks W.W.).

I've had dengue three times. There are several types (Argentinians say four). Some give up to (only) one year's immunity. The hemorrhagic type is what I had three years ago in the DR. In addition to the fever, chills and muscle pain, the hemorrhagic dengue turned the whites of my eyes flag red and bruises sprouted everywhere, even blood through the skin. Went to HOMS and recovered without transfusions by copious amounts of guayaba (guava) juice blended with red bell peppers to fatten up the platelets and raise their count.

Since a malaria-like illness in Sumatra nearly 40 years ago, I've had to delay treatment of fevers until I identify their source by profiling my temperature. My Nemesis has 6-8 hour high peaks with shattering chills. (The first time I broke a tooth with my knee during the tremors.) Attempts to treat Nemesis put me in a long coma the first time. At my age now, it would kill me. So it's a life and death issue with me to identify fevers before treating them — as ordered by my doctors.

Dengue has a double hump fever, the second lower than the first, and it tapers off into a low grade fever that can last a week or even more. Treatment is absolutely necessary when hemorrhagic signs appear. Non-hemorrhagic types usually can be suffered through like the flu by non-senior adults.

For a picture of the mosquito and official information about dengue punch up this site for real scoop.
 

puryear270

Bronze
Aug 26, 2009
935
82
0
Thanks for the info. Since I don't have a fever, I'm going to give it a few days before I get concerned. My guess is that the headaches are caused by something else. I have a couple of suspicions: new glasses are already on order, and a walk on the beach takes care of the stress.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
i just wanted to say: be careful. already nearly 50 deaths attributed to dengue this year. if you feel any worse, go to the doctor. in the meantime drink lots of fluids. the headaches may be a result of dehydration or even related to the weather.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,328
113
Thanks for the info. Since I don't have a fever, I'm going to give it a few days before I get concerned. My guess is that the headaches are caused by something else. I have a couple of suspicions: new glasses are already on order, and a walk on the beach takes care of the stress.

I can assure you - that Dengue headache is unmistakable.... if you have it, you can barely stand..

Sleeping is impossible, passing out is more like it.
Combing your hair is impossible.

I had a nurse who took pity on me - not quite the tooth breaking jerks, but bad enough - she stood nad massaged my head so gently that I got some relief.
Really compassionate care in the local clinica..... I got transfered to Sto Dom - Clinica Abreu to a specialist, so special that he had had all 4 Dengues.

Takes one to know one - he was a tremendous help
 
Apr 13, 2011
680
0
0
So - are all of the different versions/strains of Dengue in the DR? Or is it just one or two that is running rampant in the DR?
And - if you get Dengue, is there a way to know which strain you got?
 

pelaut

Bronze
Aug 5, 2007
1,089
33
48
www.ThornlessPath.com
Do mosquitos breed in swimming pool water?

Studies in S.A. have shown that the virus can survive in the larval stage, larvae buried in earth that dries out, then matures to a mosquito up to a year later. So it's not a case of necessarily being bitten by a mosquito that bites an infected person first, as it seems to be in malaria. Result?

You can clear away all the sources of stagnant water (old tires, etc.), surround yourself with acres of aridity, and still be attacked by the son of last year's threat. Now that's really scary.